High Texas Criminal Court Will Hear Tom DeLay Case

AUSTIN, TX- JANUARY 10: Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay leaves the Travis County Jail after being sentence to three years in prison with probation and posting $20,000 bail bond on January 10, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The one-time prominent Republican Delay was convicted of channeling $190,000 in corporate donations in 2002 through the Republican National Committee to Republican candidates for the Texas state legislature. Texas law prohibits corporations from giving directly to political campaigns. (Photo by Ben Sklar/Getty Images)Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom Delay leaves the Travis County Jail after being sentence to three years in prison with probation and posting $20,000 bail bond on January 10, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The one-time prominent Republican Delay was convicted of channeling $190,000 in corporate donations in 2002 through the Republican National Committee to Republican candidates for the Texas state legislature. Texas law prohibits corporations from giving directly to political campaigns. (Photo by Ben Sklar/Getty Images)

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday agreed to hear the case after prosecutors in Austin appealed a ruling last fall that threw out a 2010 money laundering conviction against DeLay. No timetable was immediately set.

A jury had found DeLay guilty of illegally funneling corporate money to GOP candidates in Texas legislative races, where corporate money is barred. But in a 2-1 ruling in September, the Texas 3rd Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that prosecutors failed to prove that the money being laundered was illegally obtained.

DeLay had been sentenced to three years in prison, but the punishment had been put on hold pending appeal.

A Texas jury had determined that DeLay conspired with two associates to use his Texas-based political action committee to send a check for $190,000 in corporate money to an arm of the Washington-based Republican National Committee. The RNC then sent the same amount to several Texas House candidates. Under state law, corporate money cannot be given directly to political campaigns.